The Two Headed Bear: An Oral History of the NCR
by Knight Reginald Wellington IX
Summary: A personal history of the New California Republic from 2270-2288 as told through the eyes of the people who lived through it.Written in World War Z style, but in the Fallout universe.
1. Introduction

**Introduction**

The New California Republic, throughout her 112 years of existence, has had a rich and varied history. From her humble beginnings as a small village called Shady Sands, she has grown into a strong nation, ready to rebuild a new world on the core values of liberty and democracy. Numerous events have paved the way on the road to forming a new world, such as the War with the Enclave and the Annexation of San Francisco, but one cannot understate the immense importance the Mojave has played in shaping the New California Republic. The moment the first NCR ranger stepped foot on the dry desert soil of the Mojave, the New California Republic's history would be irrevocably changed with the discovery of Hoover Dam and Caesar's Legion. The Hoover Dam would prove to be a mixed blessing as it provided much needed energy for the NCR, but the war over it with Caesar's Legion almost led to the destruction of the NCR itself.

Countless books have been written about this critical period of time, but all are didactic and impersonal, more fit to gather dust in a university library than to be read and enjoyed by the people. All of those books are collections of casualty statistics and chronologies, they lack the intimacy and the human factor that binds us so tightly to the past.

Many historians will criticize this book. They will say it's too early for an oral history of the New California Republic's involvement in the Mojave. "The wars ended just a decade ago. Why write a personal history now?", they might ask while hiding behind their textbooks. This is a valid argument that begs a valid response. While it may seem like a good idea to wait so our memories can be seen with hindsight through the light of a mature new world, many of these memories are rotting away, trapped in bodies that will not be able to divulge their secrets in a few years time. Because of this, I decided this book would better started sooner rather than later. I have forgone the luxury of hindsight to capture more memories.

While this book may be composed by me, it is the interviewees' memories alone. I have tried to corroborate their stories to the best of my abilities, so I bear the responsibility for any mistakes that are in this book.


	2. Charles Kettering, Secretary of War

**Irvine, New California Republic**

_Charles Kettering hobbles into the room and over to his favorite chair, dressed in little more than sweatpants and a robe. He looks tired and haggard, but underneath that pitiful exterior lies a sharp mind and an even sharper tongue. He served as Secretary of War under the Peterson administration from 2253 to 2272 and oversaw many NCR operations in the country as well as operations in foreign lands such as the "Pacification of the Mojave." Outside, NCR troopers can be heard conducting training exercises.  
_

We always knew about the Mojave, New Vegas, and Hoover Dam. We even had NCR citizens living in the Mojave for chrissakes! What we didn't know was whether or not the dam was in working order. Securing the dam was our first and most important priority to ensure the continuation of the NCR. We can only go so far on a few derelict solar power plants and 200-year-old fission batteries.

**How did you know there was a Mojave Wasteland in the first place?**

**[He gives me an incredulous look and continues.]**

Listen son, we may be living in the post apocalyptic ruins of the West Coast, but we sure as hell aren't cavemen! Even after the nuclear bombs, there were enough holotapes and pre-war books that survived the blasts we could use to find out there's something East of California. There were also a ton of Vaults in the NCR. We opened them up and, lo and behold, there was pre-war tech and information in them! Of course, all the pre-war technology in the world couldn't tell us if Hoover Dam was working so we had to send scouts there, but not after we deployed three battalions of NCR troopers into the Mojave.

**Why did you have to deploy NCR soldiers there? Couldn't NCR Rangers do the trick?**

Experienced rangers can only go so far into unknown territory. We had to set up FOB's **(1)** in the area so they could make it back alive and send intel back to the NCR.

**If I remember correctly, the NCR deployed three battalions of soldiers into the Mojave after Mojave raiders massacred 38 NCR citizens.  
**

That was the cover story we used to justify sending troops into the area. This hasn't been "officially confirmed by the NCR government", but the real reason we deployed troops was because of the scouts' need for a small NCR presence in the area. That was all in 2253. Twenty one years later, we finally found Hoover Dam. To this day, I wonder what took us so damn long to find the damn thing! Not much happened in those twenty-one years, though. In 2270, General Kimball led his forces into Bullhead City and managed to defeat the tribes living there.

**What happened in Bullhead City?**

I'm sure you know the basics of it. Am I right?

**Yes. NCR forces entered the city which was occupied by fifteen thousand tribals and then defeated them in a month.  
**

You have the gist of it. General Kimball had one regiment under his command. That's about four thousand troops. The tribals outnumbered his troops almost four to one. These also aren't just your regular old tribals, mind you. You thought the Legion was bad? The various tribes there coalesced into an effective fighting force led by some charismatic but dumb as hell leader and they were determined to keep that city at all costs. Their leadership may have been crap, but those tribals could fight, and fight they did.

**Why did the tribals want control of the city so much? **

When I said "tribal", you probably imagined some buck-naked guys, higher than a kite, wielding axes and spears. Am I right?

**[He shakes his head intensely.]**

No way, Jose. They were very well armed. Must've raided an armory or two. Some of the equipment we retrieved after the battle rivaled even our own weapons and we were the most technologically advanced faction on the West Coast at the time that could exert any meaningful force. That kinda gives you an idea of how well armed they were. They were also fanatical. Twenty of them would lay down their lives just to get a chance to wound an NCR trooper without a second thought. These tribals were tough as nails too. Even if they were near-death, they would keep on coming. In one NCR soldier's after action report, he wrote about the time his squad ambushed a few of the tribals. His squad decimated them, but one was still alive after the brief firefight. He was missing half his body, but the crazy sonofabitch was dragging his body towards the squad with a knife in one hand. Most of them took ten or more shots to down and even then, our soldiers had to walk up to them and shoot 'em in the head to make sure they were dead. Caesar himself could only dream of this kind of fanaticism in his legionnaires.

**[He lets loose a small laugh.]**

They probably were higher than kites.

**Referring to your earlier statement, that sounds like overkill. **

Maybe, but like I said before, these guys were insane. Many NCR troopers shot a tribal a few times and thinking they were dead, walked past them to keep on fighting. Big mistake. Those few shots just knocked them on the ground. As soon as the trooper walked by, the tribal would leap up and stab the trooper in the neck. Then the trooper's buddies would see that and they would all open fire on that one guy. Just like that. Rinse and repeat. We couldn't absorb large amounts of casualties like that and win so we changed the ROE **(2)** to fit our enemy.

**How were the Rules of Engagement changed?**

After numerous reports of "bulletproof" tribals, we began to worry less about excess ammo consumption, and we began to tell our soldiers that the only way to prove a tribal was dead was to see his brains splattered on the ground. The best way to do that was to send a lot of bullets downrange. We had already issued our troops Service Rifles thanks to experience from fighting raiders in California. The raiders there were doped up like the tribals in Bullhead and reports from a few troops who bought semi-auto rifles to replace their standard issue bolt-action rifles **(3) **proved that a lot of bullets flying at raiders were more effective than one, accurate bullet flying at them. The Ordnance Corps recognized the advantage of those rifles and began to contract the Gun-Runners to build an accurate, reliable semi-auto rifle to issue to the troopers. They gave us the Service Rifle and the NCR has used it ever since. Our troopers might have been well-trained and equipped, but I'm just thankful their commander was dumber than a bag of rocks and probably high as hell at the same time. That guy wasn't fit to be a battlefield commander. I swear to God, that guy was just so damn stupid. His ineptitude saved our asses during that battle.

**I'm sure he wasn't that dumb.**

You won't believe some of the things he did. He once had a team infiltrate one of our supply depots that was well in our territory. The team killed the 10 men stationed there and then they left. The team didn't sabotage or take anything. It seems like he just sent the team there to kill our men. The guy had no concept of logistics. We had trucks running up and down Highway 95 ferrying troops and supplies. That also sealed his fate. The only tribals in the city were warriors. That poses a problem when your food supplies are gone. Drugs and alcohol can only go so far. Somehow, their commander had the foresight to hoard a bunch of supplies in the airport on the outskirts of the city. His surviving soldiers retreated there when we took the city. General Kimball positioned his troops around the airport and starved the tribals out. It wasn't even a fight. Of course, that ended the Battle at Bullhead City and it was a strategic victory for the NCR. After we took the Dam, we had control of the Colorado from Hoover Dam to Bullhead City. We could finally assert our position across the Mojave Wasteland to protect our interests and to defend our citizens.

**All thanks to General Kimball. **

Not exactly. We had extensive logistical support and not to mention the best troops the NCR had to offer.

**You seem to downplay Kimball's ability to lead. **

Oh no, not at all! But some people are better suited to be generals and others are better suited to be presidents of a nation. Listen, Kimball was a military genius, no doubt about it, but the man lacks diplomatic skills and other traits effective leaders have. Some people spend their whole lives working to become a mayor of some city in California, but the man was elected president a few months after he retired from the military. He became president on star power alone.

**Did anything else happen during your time as Secretary of Defense?  
**

A ton of stuff happened, son, and a lot of the information about those operations will go with me to the grave, but there's one event I'll never forget. The Ranger Unification Treaty was signed under my watch, not that I did much. It was all Chief Elise's work. Well of course, the Desert Rangers of Nevada signed the treaty and they were absorbed into the ranks of the NCR Rangers. They were pretty much the only law in Nevada and absorbing them benefited the NCR greatly. **  
**

**How so? **

They protected a bunch of towns in the Mojave from White Legs, raiders, and super mutants. Pretty soon, they gained a reputation as good guys in those cities and they became well-liked. Once we absorbed them, most of the towns in the Mojave began to equate the Desert Rangers with us, and they began to see us as peacekeepers. Absorbing them was also a benefit for the Desert Rangers as well. Before our position in the Mojave was fully established, they got involved in a war with Caesar's Legion. The war wasn't going too well for them, so they signed the treaty. We pretty much saved their asses from being annihilated by the Legion.

**It sounds like a win/win. **

It was.

**[He chuckles.]  
**

Except maybe for the Legion. Unfortunately, some Desert Rangers didn't join the NCR even after their higher-ups signed the treaty.

**Why do you think that is? **

Some were lone wolves that didn't want to be led by the NCR. Rogue renegades! Ahh we could've used a few more of them during the Mojave War.

**[He shakes his head and smiles.]**

The shit they could've done to the Legion...The very thought of it sends a shiver through me. Oh well, the past is the past. No sense in reminiscing about it now.

**[He pauses.]**

Other Desert Rangers liked roaming around and fighting crime in small towns here and there. The big city life didn't attract them, I guess**. **A few of them said the NCR is just like pre-war America, it's only a matter of time when we crumble... and they didn't want to be associated with us when it does.

* * *

1. Forward Operating Base

2. Rules of Engagement

3. The NCR allowed its troopers to carry along weapons other than the standard issue rifle, pistol, and bayonet as long as they paid for it with their own money. This policy is still in effect today.

* * *

**A/N: I have tried to write this story as close to canon as possible. If any inconsistencies with the lore and my story arise, feel free to tell me. Also, feel free to inform me of any mistakes in grammar, spelling, or diction. Suggestions to add to my story will be appreciated.**


	3. William Slater, Vice President

**Baja California, New California Republic  
**

_William Slater was the Vice-President of the New California Republic under the Kimball administration. His most notable accomplishment while serving as Vice-President was convincing the President, Aaron Kimball, to send NCR rangers into Baja and beginning the NCR's interest in the region. __He lives on the fringes of NCR territory in Baja eking out a living as a farmer with his wife and two children. I managed to track him down and secure an interview with him._

You're the first person to come down here and interview me, you know that? A former vice president and I haven't gotten any book deals, not even an interview!

**Is it because-  
**

**[He cuts me off.]**

Listen, I know you're here to ask about my foreign policy success in Baja.

**Actually, I came to ask about more than that. **

Oh... Well that's alright too! Anything to get away from my wife, huh?

**[He winks at me.]**

**Let's start with Baja. Why did you persuade the President to send NCR rangers to Baja?**

At the time, our nation consisted of a few states in California and some holdings in Oregon, Nevada, and the Mojave. The population of the NCR was increasing and the resources from those areas wasn't enough to support it. In order to keep this nation strong, we had no choice but to expand. We already had settlers in the North and East. The West was the Pacific Ocean. We couldn't settle an ocean so we had to go South to Baja. Unfortunately, some people didn't agree with expansion. A few senators opposed my idea to send Rangers to Baja to scout it before we sent in settlers. They said there could "already be people there" and "who were we to uproot them and take their resources for ourselves?"

**[He scoffs and his tone darkens.] **

Naive fools. The treasury was being drained and the Brotherhood of Steel destroying our gold did not help our nation economically. Unending hordes of immigrants from Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona were surging into the NCR. Some of them tried to become citizens, but that path to citizenship took too long so others enlisted in the military. After their terms of service, we made them citizens of the NCR. As expected, we could tax citizens. Those people were the most useful to us. However, they were too few to make any noticeable difference to our economy. Most immigrants didn't try to become citizens and they started squatting and causing a ruckus all around California. We had to spend our valuable dollars to keep them complacent and under control. Not only was it a waste of resources, it was a drain on our military. They drew troops away from the frontier, which could be used to scout and pacify the locals there. Combine that with our rapidly increasing population and you have a surefire way to destroy a country economically. I may not be the Secretary of the Treasury, but I knew the only way to keep this nation afloat was to settle Baja.

**I'm sure the Senate and the House were worried about the economic state of the NCR at the time as well. This debate took place during 2279 which was in the middle of the Mojave War. The NCR was losing, according to Chief Hanlon, around one thousand soldiers per year, and that's in the Mojave alone. His figures didn't account for soldiers lost in the Brotherhood War, quelling raiders around the NCR, and as you said, "keeping immigrants under control." I'm positive you know the economic cost of losing those soldiers and besides, there was no proof of anything valuable in Baja.  
**

Well, people don't get anywhere without taking chances. That's something those spineless cowards in Congress don't understand. Don't get me wrong though, I'm sure their hearts were in the right place. After all, who would want to see the NCR not succeed? The problem is, everyone has different ideas on how to do it. Their minds were set in the near-future, short-term goals. I, and others like me, was focused on the long-term success of the NCR. Their proposals to not explore Baja and pull out our troops from the Mojave may have worked out well for the first few years, but then what? How would we get electricity that we previously got from Hoover Dam? Where would we get fresh water from? What if there were vast amounts of riches in Baja that lay unclaimed, just waiting for us?

**There was a chance of nothing in Baja as well. **

The key word is "chance". Listen kid, sometimes you just have to take a few risk to move forward in life. You didn't get this cushy job interviewing people by staying at home and waiting for opportunities did you? Hell no! You went out and grabbed the bull by the horns. I wanted to do the same for the NCR.

**Good point. On topic, if I remember correctly, it was an executive order by President Kimball that finally sent Rangers to scout out Baja. **

Yeah. Endless government bureaucracy took too long. The Senate was arguing between themselves and the House was arguing between themselves. They were bickering while the New California Republic was dying. The only way to get anywhere was for President Kimball to sign an executive order. The "anti-imperialists" controlled the Senate at the time. President Kimball signed the executive order, but the anti-imperialists tried to veto it. Luckily, some senators had the mind to think past politics and they voted against the veto. The veto didn't reach the required two-thirds of the Senate in favor of it and it died. The scouting expedition to Baja was a go. The President had the foresight to set up the BEF **(1)** while the Senate and House were debating about sending scouts to Baja. When the veto died, he sent the order for the BEF to go scout Baja. No time was wasted since they were already positioned on the border.

**What was the exact purpose of the BEF? **

Their official purpose was to go to Baja to assess the viability of the land for settlement and to establish friendly relations with the local tribes if there were any. If you're wondering, the land they assessed was suitable for farming. You wouldn't believe how pristine the land was. According to the after-action reports, Baja looked completely pristine, even after the bombs fell. Maybe the Chinese didn't think Baja was important enough to nuke. However, locals were already living there, they had formed sizable tribes, and they did not want to be absorbed by the NCR. When the expeditionary force came back, they came back short 10 men which was nearly half of the original force sent out. Hold on, let me get my copy of the debriefing.

**[He gets out of his couch and walks further into his house. He returns with a thick folder and roots through it. A few minutes later, he pulls out a stack of papers.]**

There we are. Let me read it to you. My words cannot describe what these men went through.

**[He puts on his reading glasses and starts to read the debrief after leafing through a few papers.]**

A hostile group engaged our camp at 0400 D+30 **(2)**. The hostile group was about 200 men and women strong. I woke up to the sounds of gunfire and found out the night watch had been overrun by the tribals. We made a strategic retreat to a friendly tribe and eliminated the pursuing force. At 1600 we returned to our original campsite, and the bodies of the night watch had been mutilated. Their heads were chopped off and stuffed with their genitals, while the rest of their bodies were flayed. On each body was a note written in Spanish. One of the other rangers translated it to, "This is our land and this has been our land. Advance any further and the rest of you will be killed by the Baja Confederation." Captain Andy told us to pack up our gear to return to the NCR after we buried the bodies.

**Why did the commanding officer tell them to return to the NCR?  
**

Unfortunately, we did not expect a nation in the area. No contingency plans were set up to deal with the possibility of anything other than tribals because our prewar sources said Baja was just a coastal city tourist trap and inland was just farmland.

**So the murders of ten rangers was the justification for the war with the Baja Confederation?**

Before the hostile contact with the Confederation, the BEF ventured onto a tribe conquered by the B.C. called the Yuman. They were ruled under an iron fist under the B.C. and were champing at the bit for freedom. They told the BEF that the B.C. were extremely cruel rulers, that they would demand the conquered tribes to pay large amounts of tribute and if any of their soldiers were killed by Yuman rebels, 50 Yuman civilians were killed in retaliation. This was the perfect situation for us. We could liberate the Yuman and settle Baja.

**So the Secretary of War proposed Operation Persisting Liberty to liberate Baja.  
**

Yeah, can you believe that name though? Christ, that stuff writes itself, but who cares, we won and liberated the Yuman. That's all that matters.

**In regard to later events, do you think that settling Baja was beneficial for the NCR?  
**

What kind of question is that? Of course I do, without me to persuade the president to settle that place, you and I wouldn't even be having this conversation. You can thank me for saving the NCR, son.

* * *

1. Baja Expeditionary Force

2. 4:00 A.M. 30 days after the operation to send the BEF into Baja.

* * *

**A/N: I have tried to write this story as close to canon as possible. If any inconsistencies with the lore and my story arise, feel free to tell me. Also, feel free to inform me of any mistakes in grammar, spelling, or diction. Suggestions to add to my story will be appreciated.**


End file.
